This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Various passive and active automotive occupant restraint systems are known for enhancing occupant protection in the event of a vehicle impact. Passive systems are deployed with no action required by the occupant and include inflatable restraints or airbags for frontal and side impacts, for example. Airbags are inflated with a pressurized source of gas delivered from an inflator in response to predetermined vehicle conditions.
The high pressure under which an airbag must be inflated requires a secure and reliable connection between the airbag and the inflator. Various clamps have been employed to resist separating forces resulting from the need to inflate an airbag within milliseconds of a sensed vehicle condition, such as a collision or impending collision. Many known clamps must be passed over an end of an inflator. Other known clamps are expensive and/or associated with significant manufacturing waste.
While known clamping arrangements for securing an airbag to an inflator have generally proven to be acceptable for their intended uses, there is a continuous need for improvement in the art.